Tamper-resistant packaging requirements for cosmetic products.
21 C.F.R. § 700.25
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) General. Because most cosmetic liquid oral hygiene products and vaginal products are not now packaged in tamper-resistant retail packages, there is the opportunity for the malicious adulteration of those cosmetic products with health risks to individuals who unknowingly purchase adulterated products and with loss of consumer confidence in the security of cosmetic product packages. The Food and Drug Administration has the authority and responsibility under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act) to establish a uniform national requirement for tamper-resistant packaging of cosmetic liquid oral hygiene products or products used vaginally that will improve the packaging security and help assure the safety of those products. Such a cosmetic product for retail sale that is not packaged in a tamper-resistant package or that is not properly labeled under this section is adulterated under section 601 of the act or misbranded under section 602 of the act, or both.
(b) Requirement for tamper-resistant package. Each manufacturer and packer who packages a cosmetic liquid oral hygiene product or vaginal product for retail sale shall package the product in a tamper-resistant package, if this product is accessible to the public while held for sale. A tamper-resistant package is one having an indicator or barrier to entry which, if breached or missing, can reasonably be expected to provide visible evidence to consumers that tampering has occurred. To reduce the likelihood of substitution of a tamper-resistant feature after tampering, the indicator or barrier to entry is required to be distinctive by design (e.g., an aerosol product container) or by the use of an identifying characteristic (e.g., a pattern, name, registered trademark, logo, or picture). For purposes of this section, the term “distinctive by design” means the packaging cannot be duplicated with commonly available materials or through commonly available processes. For purposes of this section, the term “aerosol product” means a product which depends upon the power of a liquified or compressed gas to expel the contents from the container. A tamper-resistant package may involve an immediate-container and closure system or secondary-container or carton system or any combination of systems intended to provide a visual indication of package integrity. The tamper-resistant feature shall be designed to and shall remain intact when handled in a reasonable manner during manufacture, distribution, and retail display.
(c) Labeling. Each retail package of a cosmetic product covered by this section, except aerosol products as defined in paragraph (b) of this section, is required to bear a statement that is prominently placed so that consumers are alerted to the specific tamper-resistant feature of the package. The labeling statement is also required to be so placed that it will be unaffected if the tamper-resistant feature of the package is breached or missing. If the tamper-resistant feature chosen to meet the requirement in paragraph (b) of this section is one that uses an identifying characteristic, that characteristic is required to be referred to in the labeling statement. For example, the labeling statement on a bottle with a shrink band could say “For your protection, this bottle has an imprinted seal around the neck.”
(d) Requests for exemptions from packaging and labeling requirements. A manufacturer or packer may request an exemption from the packaging and labeling requirements of this section. A request for an exemption is required to be submitted in the form of a citizen petition under § 10.30 of this chapter and should be clearly identified on the envelope as a “Request for Exemption from Tamper-resistant Rule.” The petition is required to contain the following:
(1) The name of the product.
(2) The reasons that the product's compliance with the tamper-resistant packaging or labeling requirements of this section is unnecessary or cannot be achieved.
(3) A description of alternative steps that are available, or that the petitioner has already taken, to reduce the likelihood that the product will be the subject of malicious adulteration.
(4) Other information justifying an exemption.
(e) Effective date. Cosmetic products covered by this section are required to comply with the requirements of this section on the dates listed below except to the extent that a product's manufacturer or packer has obtained an exemption from a packaging or labeling requirement.
(1) Initial effective date for packaging requirements. (i) The packaging requirement in paragraph (b) of this section is effective on Feburary 7, 1983 for each affected cosmetic product (except vaginal tablets) packaged for retail sale on or after that date, except for the requirement in paragraph (b) of this section for a distinctive indicator or barrier to entry.
(ii) The packaging requirement in paragraph (b) of this section is effective on May 5, 1983 for each cosmetic product that is a vaginal tablet packaged for retail sale on or after that date.
(2) Initial effective date for labeling requirements. The requirement in paragraph (b) of this section that the indicator or barrier to entry be distinctive by design and the requirement in paragraph (c) of this section for a labeling statement are effective on May 5, 1983 for each affected cosmetic product packaged for retail sale on or after that date, except that the requirement for a specific label reference to any identifying characteristic is effective on February 6, 1984 for each affected cosmetic product packaged for retail sale on or after that date.
(3) Retail level effective date. The tamper-resistant packaging requirement of paragraph (b) of this section is effective February 6, 1984 for each affected cosmetic product held for sale on or after that date that was packaged for retail sale before May 5, 1983. This does not include the requirement in paragraph (b) of this section that the indicator or barrier to entry be distinctive by design. Products packaged for retail sale after May 5, 1983, as required to be in compliance with all aspects of the regulations without regard to the retail level effective date.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-21.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026